This post is also available in:
Italiano (Italian)
My trip to Holland took place in July 2003, was solo and lasted 2 weeks.
The magnets depicting clogs and mussels, sound a little bad for certain Italian idioms. But the countries are beautiful, although I only discovered Belgium better years later on another trip.
The main stages were:
- Utrecht
- Delft
- Den Hag (The Hague)
- Rotterdam
- Amsterdam
- Brussels in Belgium
On My google my route using public transportation
I leave a little sad
This trip fits in among those where I had left with a fixation on a chick who didn’t want any, a classic for me in my 20s and 30s. I became infatuated, subconsciously with the very ones who didn’t match me, suffered doubly by being a friend, and ignored the ones who liked me. In retrospect, I have to say that I wasn’t bad at all at the time. So just by being careful I wouldn’t miss the opportunities, but nothing, I preferred self-harm.
Even, of the many possible destinations, I chose Holland because she had been there the previous year and thus to avoid places where perhaps we could have gone together sooner or later (hello). Instead of enjoying the trip, I got irritated by writing to her often and got nervous about her delays in responding to me. The height of the pathetic was, remembering a photo from her trip, to reproduce it the same with me in Dam Square in Amsterdam; it seemed such a nice thing to me and she obviously ignored it.
With this state of mind I did not enjoy it 100 percent; much better when you leave with a clear head. The previous year I went to Germany in the same condition.
Sharing a sandwich with a seagull
I skipped Amsterdam on arrival thinking I would save the best for last. But what I saw outside the capital is the best for me. Most go only for the classic long weekend, while the whole country deserves it. In the first stops Utrecht and Delft I got into the Dutch city atmosphere, with the lovely canals and gullies but without crowds and tacky things.
Utrecht is a university city, and the many maidens I passed in the pubs gladdened my eyes, even though my mind was always elsewhere. Delf is lovely, considered the home of faience, I was buying a cow but discovered it cost 400 euros. Fortunately there was one that looked identical to me and cost one 0 less.
Arnhem, besides being pretty is the city where the WWII battle called Market Garden ended (badly for the Allies), made famous by the movie that last bridge. Nearby is the Hoge Veluwe park where by renting a bike you can ride through 4 completely different habitats including a sand desert.
I was also able to enjoy the nature of the Netherlands. One afternoon I found myself at a lake; I had not marked it in my guidebook, so I decided to walk around it without expectation. At first I didn’t notice anything special; then I crossed an area that was so cheerful because it was dedicated to dogs and finally I found myself in the nudist part. All with such serenity.
It is difficult to speak highly of Dutch food. Typical is the herring sandwich sold at special kiosks. It was especially worthy of mention that I shared it with a very sociable, almost cheeky seagull.
During the trip to Holland I burn my calves.
Den Hag and Rotterdam are often not even considered on tours, but I liked them.
In Den Hag I was stimulated by the idea of going to a North Sea beach for the first time, I rented a bike to get there from the center; my chain broke! I had to walk a long way. The beach establishments are quite different from those on the Romagna Riviera. Although it was a decidedly northern day with a lashing wind, there were plenty of bathers.
That was one of the hottest summers in history (although they began to repeat themselves later). I had daily feedbacks about the mugginess in the Po Valley, so I stayed cooler than my compatriots, but even in the Netherlands, because of their habits, it was very hot. Being out and about and in shorts all the time, I got sunburned in particular on my calves, and I decided to buy some after-sun cream.
In Rotterdam I went into various pharmacies and stores, it would seem like an easy thing to do, but at least at that time it was a rare thing for the Dutch, because of how little sun they have, they used to get it all. It was hard because I didn’t know how to say it in English, at that time there was no translator in the phone: the cream against the sun was not very effective. I also found the city interesting, with its modern and original buildings while deviating considerably from the national prototype.
Next stage Meetings on the road, when I was younger it was certainly easier
Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent
Countries visited in my travel stories
Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.